Large non-graphite crucibles utilized for melting high melting point materials have a tendency to crack during the melt-casting process because of excessive mechanical stresses that develop within the crucible due to nonuniform heating of the crucible. The cracks occur primarily at the juncture of the bottom and the side wall of the crucible as well as radial cracks emanating from the center of the crucible bottom. The larger the crucible the more susceptible it is to cracking. It is desirable to reduce the labor and energy costs of the melt-casting process by reducing the time required to complete the process and to maximize the service life of the crucible. Therefore, it is very important to provide a non-graphite crucible which will not crack during the melt-casting cycle of the material. In addition, carbon contamination caused by the crucibles used in reactive melt processing is a serious problem. Therefore, it is important to prevent such contamination.